


Champion

by WashSpirit



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Angst, F/F, O'Solo - Freeform, Presston - Freeform, USWNT
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-25
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-23 04:09:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6104476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WashSpirit/pseuds/WashSpirit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A story about how Christen Press and Julie Johnston's daughter became the most hated soccer player in the United States. </p><p>"The sad thing is...it wasn't always like this," Hayley Press-Johnston thought to herself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

  **Hayley's POV**

  
I remember clearly when I first started playing soccer. However, that was not the day I fell in love with the sport. The day I fell in love with the sport happened years later, in Switzerland.

**2020 Zurich, Switzerland (Fifa Ballon d'Or Gala)**

The gala was elegant, and in my opinion too crowded. Athletes and agents of all walks of life stood before each other. Many reached out their hands to congratulate one another on their success upon being nominated. Others were simply saying hello to acquaintances who were fortunate enough to make the event.

I was only 4 years old at the time, but even at that age I liked to believe that I was observant.

The players who were nominated had a glow to them. They walked about as if they were on cloud nine. They talked more animately than the others. I know because my mother was one of the few who would be experiencing this night differently than many of the other guests.

By the end of the night my mother, Christen Press, would either be celebrating as the World Player of the Year or taking in a devastating loss.

"Christen you look amazing!"

Aunt Kelley was always a character. She quickly rushed over to my mother who already had her hands stretched out to gather her long time friend in for a hug.

"Kelley, I am so happy you agreed to come," mom said sincerely with a big smile.

"I can't believe you thought I'd miss this Pressy," Kelley said as she slowly moved away from my mother's embrace.

I held on to my other mother's hand lightly getting ready to run over to my aunt.

"Hey kiddo," Kelley said as she bended down slightly with open arms.

I quickly let go of my mother's hand and ran right into her, almost knocking her down.

"Hayley be careful!" Julie Johnston said worriedly as her former teammate stumbled from the younger girl's weight.

"It's fine Julie," Kelley said smiling brightly and waving her former teammate off with her hand playfully.

"She just misses her favorite aunt, right kiddo?"

I nod excitedly and return to my mother's side smiling lightly up at her as I put my hand securely back in hers. She smiles back at me her blue eyes twinkling slightly as she takes in the moment.

"Jeez kiddo your getting tall, soon you'll be taller than your mama," Aunt Kelley tells me proudly.

I smile at the thought of being just as tall, if not taller than the Julie Johnston.  
"Really?!" I can't help but ask as I look up at my other mother, who is wearing a beautifully cut black gown.

Even with that dress on, the ever selfless Christen Press crouches down to me and encouragingly agrees before kissing me on the cheek.

"Hey, why can't I have one," My blue eyed mother says. Her face forming a light pout.

"And me!?" Aunt Kelley joins in playfully.

My green eyed mother straightens up laughing lightly, "Sorry ladies," she says as she reaches over to kiss my mother lightly on the lips and my aunt chastely on the cheek.

"Gee thank you for kissing us peasants Pressy," my aunt teases as she attempts to wipe of her cheek of any remaining lipstick.

"No problem Kelley," my mother says as she chuckles and shakes her head lightly to herself.

"No seriously Chris, if you win tonight your like...soccer royalty!"

"You're already a queen to me," my mother adds smiling proudly.

"Wow. Even after all this time JJ is still so.."

"Romantic," Christen questions kissing Julie's cheek.

"I was going to say dorky, but whatever floats your boat Chris," Kelley says laughing at her own joke.

The night is so young and vibrant that both Julie and Christen can't help but laugh too. After all how many people can honestly say that they are spending the night here, and like this.

Perhaps it was because I was young and I had never seen such elegant clothes and people. Perhaps it was all the flashing cameras and screaming fans, or the way my mother looked when she stood up on the podium to receive the Player of the Year Award after so many years. Maybe it was the way that my moms hugged each other afterward, or the way Kelley sobbed like a baby at dinner when she told my mother that she loved her and was so proud of her.

Till this day I'm not sure what it was exactly about that night that made me love soccer as much as I do now. I just know that when we flew back to the states to come home, I had a new dream. I wanted to have what my moms had. I wanted to have my own trophies and glory. I wanted to be the best player in the world. And at one point in time...some might've even argued that I was. However, not all stories end that easily.


	2. Youth Teams

**Nine Years Later**

**Julie's POV**

  "Come on Hayley! Let's go baby shake it off," I yell from the sideline trying to encourage my daughter.

  For a split second she makes eye contact with me before nodding her head and getting up off the ground. A player on the other team had previously knocked her off her feet, resulting in a yellow card.

"That should have been a straight red," I whisper to my wife as she nods agreeing with me.

"I know, if anything the ref is just making mercy calls at this point," Christen replies quietly to where only I could have heard her.

I turn my attention back to the field where I see Hayley gain possession of the ball again. At first she stands still with the it waiting for a defender on the opposing team to come to her.

"Hayley move up! Don't just stop!" I can't help but yell as I put my hands to my head. I feel a nudge at my side and know it's Christen's way of telling me to cool down.

In front of us I see Hayley kick the ball forward and past a defender. She quickly turns on the gears and chases after it refusing to give up possession. She easily catches up with the ball leaving the defender trailing closely behind her. In actuality it seemed that the defending opponent never had a chance against Hayley. The girl was just too fast sometimes.

In a matter of seconds Hayley successfully reached a suitable distance from goal before taking a shot. As her mother I knew by the way my daughter brought her leg back before making contact with the ball, that she was going to score another goal.

Sure enough Hayley kicked the ball and watched expectingly as it flew past the goalkeeper, into the upper left corner, and finally hitting the back of the net. The impact made a satisfying swish sound and soon followed a uproar of cheers.

Christen was the first to jump up and scream goal, nearly shattering my eardrums. She clapped loudly as she yelled out to our daughter, "Way to go baby!"

I threw in a, "Good job Hayley," before hugging christen and kissing her temple lightly.

However, our daughter did little to acknowledge us as she celebrated her third goal of the game. She ran to the corner of the field and saluted her home crowd.

I chuckled to myself as the fellow parents humored my kid by clapping back enthusiastically. Many of them threw in praise and encouragement as well as her coach. Her teammates patted her on the back and slipped in a few high fives.

To be honest it all seemed so normal. It was typical for Hay to score goals. The celebrations, the congratulations, and even the scoreboard (4-0) was typical.

The official's whistle blew shortly after indicating the ending of the game. The field erupted in applause as the winners ran back to their bench joyously. Hay ran back to her coach and teammates with a extra hop in her step. There was no denying the happiness the kid felt when she scored goals. Just like her mother.

"I'll get the car ready while you wait for Hay," Christen said turning around to go to the nearby parking lot. The smile on her face evident. I nod in acknowledgement to her plan.

I saw as the coach quickly wrapped up his after game speech and instructed the girls to huddle up before leaving the field.

"1,2,3, Knights!"

The parents once again clapped as the young girls on the field dispersed after they chanted the team name. Hayley slowly walked towards me with a glint in her eyes and a lazy smile on her face.

I smiled back as I extended my arm to put it over her shoulders.

"Whew! Kid you stink," I say jokingly as I pinch the bridge of my nose.

She laughed lightly before shoving me in a teasing manner.

"Ma, stop or I swear I'll tell mom you were picking on me," she says with a grin.

I laugh as I slowly lead her to our car where her mother is waiting patiently in the passenger seat.

"Julie!"

At first I'm not sure who is calling me, but as I turn around I see the familiar face of one Hope Solo.

It was strange to see the former goalkeeper after so many years. It must have been a good 10 years after the 15ers dispersed to do our own things. Several of us, like Christen and myself, started families after the Rio Olympics. Other remained in the team or started working with the soccer federation. Anyhow it didn't matter because as far as I was concerned most of us were happy.

"Hope?"

"Yeah it's me, how's a going, how have you been," she said with a sincere smile and with a easy going attitude.

My former teammate was known for being a lot of things, 'friendly' was never really one of them. However, the team knew Hope differently. We saw her as a leader, as our teammate, but more importantly as a fellow sister. Despite this, however, I can personally say that I was never really close to her. We had a good relationship but not one as in depth as the one she had with Carli, or hell, even Kelley.

"I've been good..how about you? How are you holding up," I ask still a little taken back by the unsuspecting visitor.

"Great, I've actually been working with the national team in finding some new talent," she said simply.

Her glance at Hayley did not go unnoticed by me.

I knew exactly why Hope came by to talk.

"Hey Hay, why don't you keep your mom company in the car while I talk to Ms. Solo real quick," I say pushing her gently towards the car.

The girl's eyes hadn't left the towering goalkeeper the minute she decided to make an appearance.

"But I want to stay with you." The teenager pouted at me giving me a sad look. Her green eyes resembled that of her mother's.

I look over to see Christen in the car looking at us curiously and confused. It was as if her eyes were silently asking me 'what's going on'.

"Yeah but she needed help with something earlier...just go check up on her and I'll be there in a minute."

I go again to push her gently as Hope watches on. The teenager agrees as she shuffles her feet towards the car, her cleats held tightly in one hand while she carries a water bottle in the other.

I finally give Hope my undivided attention after I see my daughter get in the car safely.

"So what's up, Hope?"

The former player sighs as she shakes her head and looks to the ground. A smile makes a way onto her face before she meets my eyes again.

"You're kid is amazing Johnston. I came by to see her for myself, not that I don't trust Kelley's judgement, but I just had to make sure O'hara wasn't playing favorites."

I nod my head while I keep a straight face.

So Hope and Kelley huh? I thought to myself looking up slightly at the goalkeeper. 

Hope may have been a friend and former teammate, but I'm still cautious around the soccer world and my kid.

"She's still young.." I begin to say before being cut off.

"Yes Julie and that's the point! It's better for the national team to train players when their young because they learn the proper technique. Think about it Julie, she'll be training with the best players, staff, and coaches in the country! You have to let me recruit her in the youth teams."

"Hope..it's a huge step, she doesn't need that pressure."

"Listen okay," Hope sighs looking down.

I look at her and she raises her gaze back at me with conviction in her eyes.

"Julie you and Christen are like family to me, and I understand that we don't talk to each other regularly, but that does not mean I don't respect you or your daughter. I'm looking for talent and she just happens to have it. Trust me if I could avoid asking you guys I would...but she's one of a kind. I just...I can't pass this up. Listen I know it's a huge step but you need to trust that I won't exploit your child for my own benefit, I just want to make my team stronger. Here's my card."

Hope pulls out a little piece of paper from her front jean pocket and places it in my hand. I look down at it before returning my gaze towards her.

"Let me talk to Christen first, from there we'll tell Hayley," I say boldly.

Hope smiles with a glint in her eyes. She nods her head once before shaking my hand and walking away bidding me farewell.

As I walk back to the car I notice Hayley sleeping in the backseat and Christen looking at me curiously.

"What was that about,"she whispers in order to avoid waking up the sleeping teenager.

"Hope is a scout for the youth national teams and Hayley's a topic of discussion," I say as I change gears of the car to drive off.

Christen falls silent as she glances out the window in deep thought. She nods softly to herself. I reach my hand over to hold hers. Almost instantly she looks at me as she feels the contact. I smile softly at her, and she returns the gesture.

Despite our parental fears and worries we agreed to let Hayley train with the youth teams. After that day Hayley Press- Johnston became a common name amongst many teams.

My worries as a mother subsided when we got Hayley her own lawyer and agent (which just so happened to be Ali Krieger). It was smart to take precautions with business, even if that business was just soccer. Christen and I both sighed in relief when we realized that our former friend was now in the agency business and had agreed to look after our daughter. Krieges had made the transition so much easier for the two of us.

Hope, Kelley and Ali, along with Christen and myself, were there to see the unveiling of Hay's new soccer jersey.

'Johnston' along with the number '7' was presented to the 12 year old. And although it wasn't a professional gathering it was still special to the young girl. Putting on the jersey for her parents, her aunt, and her new agent made the ordeal seem important and special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback is much appreciated :)


	3. Competitive

**3 Years Later**

**Hayley's POV (15 years old)**

 

"Shit," I say under my breath as I come to a abrupt halt. I catch my breath before turning around quickly and running back to where I came from.

Sprints.

The most agonizing workout anyone could possibly do. My body had already started to slow down but I've managed to continue running.

Back and forth, to and back. It was routine and the only way to get it done was by being disciplined.

Sweat dripped down my forehead onto my upper brow. My hair was damp and my shirt was equally soaked. If I couldn't see my legs through my peripheral vision, I might have forgotten that they were there.

Honestly they went numb a while ago. It did little to stop me though, in fact I preferred it this way. Now I don't have to feel that undesirable burn of sore and aching muscles giving up on me.

"Hey kid!" It takes everything in me to stop running and look up to the voice interrupting my concentration.

When I raise my gaze I notice that it is one of the trainers, Toni. He's wearing a track suit with a stack of cones under his arm and a soccer ball at his feet.

"Hey kid didn't you hear me calling you? You're either deaf or rude the way you ignored me."

I can't help but feel annoyed at the interruption, however, I don't show it in my demeanor towards the older man.

"Sorry, I was just practicing."

As I line up preparing myself to continue my training Toni speaks up again.

"Listen kid don't beat yourself up over yesterday. We had a bad game, it happens to everyone."

I can't help but look down at the ground angrily. I clutch my jaw tightly before opening my mouth to talk.

"We lost three - nil, sir."

"Mistakes happen, especially in football."

I shake my head in disagreement.

"Letting one goal go in is a mistake, letting three go in is pathetic. How do we expect to win anything like that," I say as I let pure emotion out.

Toni shrugs and lets me be. He walks around the field setting up cones for the evening practice. The summer academy I am attending right now allows the youth teams to practice two to three times a day.

Some days we work outside other days we work in the gym. I don't like that routine though. I don't like that the academy is so lenient with us as players. If it was up to me we would run practice all day, and watch footage of our games all night.

Maybe then we wouldn't lose three to nothing.

I begin to line up to run again, but I stop myself. I look at my wrist watch and realize that lunch will be served in about ten minutes.

I jog over to the stuff I had laid down on the field and head back to the dormitories. The dorms weren't spectacular at the academy, but they were manageable. The halls were evenly divided between the youth players. We all were able to manage in one way or another. I mean we had to if we wanted to train with the team.

"Hey H, what's up?" My roommate Amanda says to me cheerfully.

For a teenager she was very optimistic.

"Not much," I respond coldly.

I set my training bag down along with my cleats and hit the shower. Shortly after, I get dressed and find myself alone in my dorm.

I breath a sigh of relief at being left alone. I take a moment to sit on my bunk and reminisce about the game we had played yesterday.

The odds were in out favor from the beginning...or at least they should have been.

**Flashback**

The bus ride was fun and entertaining. Most of my teammates were joking around (possibly more than usual).

Our season had gone on so far without a hitch. I had personally scored a goal in every single appearance I had made with the team this year. In seven games I had nine goals. We were currently ranked in second place, just below Germany's national youth team.

Normally that fact alone would bug me, but today I was on cloud nine. In fact all of us were. Because today we weren't playing Germany or France or Brazil. Today we were playing the lowest ranked team in our league.

I laughed loudly in the bus at my friend's antics and banter. "Hey H, don't even bother scoring, they'll probably make a own goal anyway," Chelsea Dunner said loudly for all of us to hear.

Of course the bus erupted in laughter at the thought. Quite frankly we were being mean about the fact that the other team was so lowly ranked and had to face us.

"I bet you anything Jess will even score a goal tonight," said Chelsea referring to our goalkeeper Jessica Paige. The rest of us just nodded our heads while we laughed to ourselves.

"Alright girls settle down," our coach called out as she got on the bus carrying her equipment.

As we got off the bus we had a sense of ruthlessness and confidence that I couldn't explain.

However, it didn't matter. When it came down to it the opposing team took advantage of the fact that we didn't stretch, warm-up, or play properly.

In the first half they scored a goal in the 44th minute off a set play. Number 12 on their team kicked in a ball off a freekick and some how one of her teammates was able to head it in past Jess.

My team was already uneasy at the fact that we hadn't scored all game. When the official blew the whistle to single half time, we all walked back into the locker room with our tails in between our legs.

Coach Claire threw a fit at us.

"Run the plays we did in practice! All I've seen out there is sloppy passes and disorganization!"

I have to admit that her anger and disappointment spurred me on to turn the game around.

As we walked out of the locker room to start second half I had a  burning desire to score a goal. Not only to win the game but to improve my personal stats.

Statistics were important to me. Every assist and goal counted to me. And keeping my streak alive was the only thing on my mind. I had to score a goal.

As soon as the official blew the whistle and the ball was in play I made myself available.

"Chels I'm open," I cried out to my teammate. However, as soon as Chelsea saw me the opposing players had taken the ball away from her.

It seemed like the whole game consisted of us chasing the opposing  players in a frail attempt to win possession. I can probably count the number of times I touched the ball in that game on my hand.

We had a few chances to settle the score and equalize the match, but the moment never came. 

Their second goal came off a corner kick. One girl on the other team sent in a perfect floater to a player who was unmarked and the score was easily 2-0.

I couldn't help but curse loudly. "Come on guys, lets go," I screamed at my teammates as I ran back to midfield to reset the ball. I didn't miss the way some of m teammates had their heads hung low. I couldn't believe that some of them were giving up so easily.

I quickly put the ball in play with another foward named Brianna. Just as quickly as we had the ball, we lost it.

In a stupid attempt to clear the ball from a attacking foward Chelsea managed to slide tackle roughly in the box which resulted in a penalty kick.

In a matter of seconds the scoreboard was 3-0.

It was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life.

What made it worse was the fact that my parents drove down with my younger sister to see this game in particular.

Taylor was four years younger than me so my parents brought her along to avoid calling a sitter (although in retrospect she didn't really need one at 12).

After the game both of my moms tried to tell me that losing was a part of the game and that 'off days' were common even among pros.

"But they suck! How the fuck did we lose," I whisper angrily as I yank off my cleats.

"Hayley watch your language," my green eyed mother said to me quietly but seriously.

She looked over to my sister hoping that she would keep any impending comments to herself.

"Why should I!" I realized that my voice was louder than before and both of my parents looked taken aback.

They both knew I was competitive, and that I hated losing, but this attitude was different. I was genuinely upset and angry.

I threw my cleats in my bag roughly stopping only when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder.

I look over to see my mother staring back sternly at me. Her piercing blue eyes bore into mine.

"Listen kid not every game is a good one. Maturity and professionalism is learning how to lose gracefully. How would you like it if those other teams made you feel bad for winning?"

_Was she being serious right now?!_

"Honestly I would love that," I say back in a snarky manner.

"I love winning. And I don't give a shit if the other teams get angry about that or not."

My blonde mother responded quickly. "Watch your mouth, Hayley. We understand that you had a bad game but your attitude is out of line. We know you are upset but you need to calm down."

I scoff lowly to myself as I give my back to my mothers and sister and walk off towards my teammates who are slowly starting to board the bus. As I walked away I head my softer spoken mother yell after me. I'm ashamed to say that I ignored her completely.

But they don't understand.

Today was a sho in for me..for us. I was suppose to score three goals today. If I had done that I would have had 32 goals on my record with the team. A personal record among rookies. That's part of the reason why my moms drove over to watch the game. They thought I had a chance to break the record tonight. I really blew it.

On the bus I drowned out everyone and everything by listening to my music. The next day I woke up early to run. And now I was here. In my dorm. Completely alone. My team had avoided me all day. They knew I was heated over the loss.

I didn't blame the whole team for the loss, at the moment I mostly just blamed myself. As a forward when you don't score, what good are you?

I heard my phone buzzing slightly on my nightstand pulling me out of my thoughts. I straightened up to see who the incoming call was coming from. The screen easily read 'Mom' with a picture of my green eyed mother smiling brightly.

I let the phone ring, avoiding the call altogether. After the phone stopped buzzing, a notification from a text came through. I unlocked my phone to see what the message said.

"Tay: Hay, call us soon. Mom is worried and we miss you."

I knew it was wrong to avoid my mother's attempt at contacting me. I just didn't want to call her back when I was angry. I made it a point to return her call after lunch.


	4. Me Versus Who?

**2 years later**  
**Hayley's Pov (17 years old)**

"Damn," I yell as I bring my hands to the top of my head.

My shot had just flown past the crossbar into a set of bleachers. I look at Hope in net as she smirks back at me.

"What kid? Got nervous?"

I can't help but smile back at the former player. I shake my head lightly as I look down and tighten up my pony tail.

"No I'm just warming up. You just wait and see."

She laughs as she walks back to her line. For an older player Hope still had an athletic built and her performance in goal was still impressive. Yes, some goals go in easier than before, but she claims its just "foward's luck".

She looks at me challengingly, her blue eyes holding a little mischievous twinkle in them. She stretches her arms wide and rocks side to side anticipating my next shot.

We were practicing long distant free kicks together.

"Let's go!" She commands loudly as I set the ball on the ground.

I place the ball by my right foot and take four steps back at a angle. I breath in deeply before stepping forward and making contact.

I kick the ball with that sweet spot near my shoe's Nike logo and watch as it flys off the floor to goal.

The ball is curving with power and speed towards the upper right corner.

Hope quickly shifts her body towards it in an attempt to stop it. She springs upward and stretches out her left arm completely disassociating her body from the ground. Her left hand palms the ball and she pushes it out of danger. Her body hits the floor softly (How? I'm not sure). Nevertheless she grunts lowly at the impact.

"Damn," I say under my breath as I see the ball roll out of the field and no where near the back of the net.

Hope quickly gets up and looks over to me with a cocky grin.

"Not today," she replies as she wags her finger at me.

I can't help but feel a little frustrated knowing that out of the ten shots I've taken only eight have gone in. I didn't want to give Hope the bragging rights. I was also going for a perfect 10 out of 10 type of deal.

"You sure you're Press' kid," she teasingly ask me as she sprays the back of her neck with a water bottle.

"You sure you're allowed to be out at this time? Won't Aunt Kelley get mad?"

It was all in fun, but I'm sure I got her there with that last one.

The former keeper laughs at my comeback as she reaches out to me. Her arms rest upon my shoulders as we walk side by side off the field.

"Whatever you're aunt doesn't know won't hurt her."

I smile up at Hope knowing that she understood that I was joking with her.

See that was the thing about Hope. She understood me very well, and knew where I was coming from. Surprisingly we had a lot in common. Both of us were a bit introverted, had passion, and managed to be very independent. And we both hated losing.

"So how is your training coming along? Your coaches have told me a lot of good things about camp."

"Really," I ask her looking up hopefully.

She nods her head looking straight forward.

"Some even say that you're ready to play with the U-20s."

I look ahead of us as I take in what my recruiter was trying to say.

"So...are you," she asks me as she comes to a sudden halt. She moves in front of me to make eye contact.

_Was I ready for that? I knew we had a good season with our U-18 teams, but U-20s was a huge step. And after U-20s people typically get called to play in the actual national team. Could I really do that?_

I looked up to the former goalkeeper nervously bitting my lip.

"I don't know."

She nods her head before placing her hand on my shoulder and bending down slightly to meet my gaze.

"Don't say that Hay, because in a couple of days coaches are going to email you and call you and ask that question. You can't say 'I dont know'."

I began to feel scared and uneasy at the new information. I knew that one day this would happen, but I never expected it to happen so soon. I was only seventeen for christ's sakes.

"Listen," she trailed off before taking a deep breath, "Don't tell your moms yet. You think about it. Think about the amazing season you had. Think about your teammates and how much more you will mature as a player if you play with older kids."

"I went through this once before kid," Hope said slowly, "And I don't regret taking my risk and chances. And I knew what I wanted. I have a feeling you want the same thing."

"Yeah? What's that," I asked challengingly.

"To be the best," Hope responded honestly.

"And I think of all the people who have that particular dream, only a few can actually accomplish it, and you can be one of them."

I looked down at the floor as she lifts her hand from my shoulder and creates a distance between us.

"Hey," Hope calls out.

I look up to meet her gaze

"Don't forget that this is a competition. Everyone here is fighting for a spot. The only way you get it is if you put in the work. The only way you keep it is if you let everyone else know its yours."

With that the older woman gathers me up in a hug and turns on her heel to walk to her car in the parking lot. She throws a 'goodbye' over her shoulder to me as she gets in and drives off.

After a while I return to the field and sit down on the grass. On another field (adjacent to the one I am sitting on) I hear loud voices calling out commands and names. I glance over to see some of my U-18 teammates running a scrimmage with a coach.

Hope really put into perspective what mattered that day. She reminded me what I was doing this for. I wanted to be the best. It didn't matter whether I was ready for the next step or not, because that day I made myself ready.

The following Monday I got a call from head coach, Abby Wambach, asking me if I had the guts to join the U-20 team.  
Without hesitation I asked if the U-20 team had the guts to let me play. Wambach laughed over the phone before offering me a deal.

"Listen kid if you continue to score goals the way you've been doing with your other teams, I can guarantee you as much playing time as you want."

Coach Wambach told it to me straight.

'You play good you get a spot. You suck you get dropped'. She didn't use those words exactly, but I got the message.

"You got yourself a deal coach," I say over the phone, grinning.

"Great Hayley, I'm happy you can take this next step with us," Abby said sincerely.

"Me too coach," I say honestly.

"We need to set up a meeting with your parents and agent. You know, to discuss a contract and what not."

I freeze at the mention of my parents.

"Yeah about that coach...listen how about we call you back for that stuff. I'll pass on the message to my moms to call you back. Oh! And Ali too."

"Sure kid whatever floats your boat but lets try to knock that meeting out of the park early so you can start training with us ASAP," Abby says before dismissing herself from the conversation and hanging up.

I pulled the phone from my ear as the call ended. I couldn't help the smile that made its way onto my face.

 _I'm gonna play with the U-20s_.

I was quickly pulled out of my thoughts as I heard my mother's voice calling me.

"Hayley lunch is ready, come downstairs to set the table."

I made my way downstairs slowly. When I walked into our family dinning room I noticed my sister swiftly setting the table already. Her blue eyes looked up as she heard my footsteps. She gave me a light smile as she handed me some utensils and napkins to put besides the plates she had set down.

My mother, Julie, was bent over the counter-top putting the finishing touches on her dish. The aroma of lasagna filled my nostrils.

Ma always made Italian food during summer time. Mom quickly handed Taylor and I a plate as we each stacked ourselves a serving before siting down together at the table.

"I'm so glad we get to spend this summer break together," my blonde mother says with a big smile.

I nod my head in agreement and dig into the homemade dish. Instantly a sense of warmth and comfort begin to wash over me. I loved these moments.

I really believe that the only thing I loved more than playing soccer was being with my moms and sister (even if Taylor was a pain in the neck sometimes).

I inspected the scene in front of me. Taylor ate quickly, focusing completely on her dish while my parents stole glances at one another from across the table.

_What teenagers._

I smile at the moment. No matter what, our household always had a sense of serenity within it.

"Guys, I have something to tell you."

Instantly they all gave me their undivided attention. I mess around with the silver spoon in my hand several times before I release a shaky breath.

"Coach Wambach called me today."

I say the words carefully. Both of my mothers share a glance before turning back to me.

Taylor just stared up for a second before shrugging her shoulders and returning to her meal.

My blue eyed mother is the first to speak, "Abby? Why would Abby be calling you Hay?"

I sigh before realizing that this moment was now or never.

"Because the coaches at the federation have been talking..and they want to move me up to play with the U-20 team."

As I am telling my mothers this I keep my eyes casted downward towards my plate.

"Congrats Hay!" I hear my sister's voice say excitedly.

I look up to see that the fourteen year old had her hand extended towards me with a toothy grin. I smile back and give her a high five.

"What? Can they do that? Who told you about this? When did you hear this?"

My smile faded quickly, along with my sister's, who now just seemed confused.

Surprisingly it was my birth mother who was questioning me. Typically mom listens first and asks later. After all, when Christen Press is your parent you're bound to be given enough love and understanding for a lifetime. Not that my mama wasn't loving or understanding, she was just a little bit more heads on.

"Why didn't they call us," she continues looking over to her wife.

"Did you know about this Julie?"

My blonde haired mother raised her hands in surrender before turning her attention towards me.

"No this is the first I've heard of it. Care to explain," she directs towards me.

I place my spoon down and meet both of their eyes.

"Coach called me because I told Hope to let her call me."

"Since when have you and Hope been having meetings," Christen says with concerned filled eyes.

"Mom don't make a big deal out of this I just wanted to deal with this on my own," I reply defensively.

"Still, Hay!"

My mom exclaimed clearly upset at the situation.

"We've always told you that you could trust us with anything, and this is big. It involves contracts and lawyers...you can't just agree to something without telling us first."

"Well maybe if you and ma would stop babying me I wouldn't have to hide things like this," I yell back.

"Hey! Both of you calm down," Julie said over the two.

"Taylor why don't you go upstairs real quick so we can talk to your sister," ma continued to say in a calm voice.

My sister nodded slowly before giving me a sympathetic look and excusing herself from the table to go to her room.

"Chris let her explain what's going on."

My mom takes a deep breath before nodding her head in agreement and looking at me.

I steal a glance at both of them before I resume the conversation.

"Hope visited and gave me a heads up that the U-20 staff had been contemplating letting me play with them. She just told me to expect a call or something from them. She also told me to think about it and I did and I decided that...I'm ready."

I cross my arms as I lean back into my chair.

"You decided?! Hayley, you can't decide for yourself about this, your seventeen, you're still a minor!"

My mom had officially had enough. She stood up and started pacing while wringing her hands through her hair.

"Julie, call Kelley and get Solo on the line," she said looking my mother directly in the eye.

"Chris calm down," the former defender said as she reached out to her wife.

"Mom no! I already told Coach Wambach that I would do it," I said in a panic.

Christen turned her attention from the former defender to her sneaky teenage daughter.

"What?"

I sighed and repeated my statement.

"Hayley Grace I swear if you signed anything without our consent.."

"Mom, chill I didn't do that! I just told coach that I was as interested in her team as she was in me."

My mom let out a visible sigh of relief  before my mother wrapped her up in a hug. I saw my ma whisper something in her ear before leading her to a nearby chair.

She then turned her blue eyes to me.

"This isn't over kid we will talk about this later, for right now we'll call Ali and figure this stuff out."

I nod my head and turn my attention to the cold lasagna on my plate.

I didn't want to upset my mom. In fact that was the last thing that I wanted to do. I always wanted my parents to be proud of me. I realized that I had gone about this the wrong way.

I reached my hand over the table to hold my mother's in my own.

"Mom, I know your scared. I'm scared too. But I know I can do this. I was born to do this. This is what I want for myself."

Christen looked at her daughter steadily. The forward squeezed her daughter's hand lightly. The former striker couldn't help the tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Her baby was growing up.

She quickly brought her hand up to wipe her cheeks before chuckling lowly at herself. She nodded her head in acknowledgment to her daughter's confession. She looked up at her wife who was standing over her. Julie smiles warmly at her wife before squeezing her shoulder lightly as if to say 'I'll support whatever you decide'.

Eventually my parents gave me the 'okay' to play with the U-20 team. A couple of weeks later, after Ali had settled all legal issues, I began practicing with head coach Abby Wambach.

As a team we went on to win several conpetitions and tournaments. Some of these included the Under 20 olympics, Under-20 Concacaf, and even the Under-20 World Cup. 

As a player I went on to win many awards and tropies, but none of them mattered as much as my nomination for World Player of the Year. However it wasn't my year.

I was cut early on in the nomination list not making the 'last three finalist' list. The loss did not discourage me though.

Some say that my dedication to the game after being cut heighten my desire to win. Maybe they were right. Shortly after that I was quickly recurited to play for the national team. 

In my mind..I had made it.

 


	5. I'm (almost) The Best

**Hayley's POV**

**One Year Later (18 years old)**

Playing with the national team was everything I had ever dreamed of. I had everything I wanted. Everything that I've ever worked for was to be where I was today.

I was currently driving to my agent's house, in the car of my dreams, to discuss a endorsement deal of a lifetime.

Talk about living the good life. I can't help but smile at myself every time I look in my rearview mirror.

When I get to Ali and Ash's house I walk up the stairs to their door with a extra hop in my step.

"Hey kid," Ashlyn greets me warmly.

"Hey Aunt Ash," I say enthusiastically before allowing myself to be pulled in for a hug.

"Hey nice car you got there, Hayley," my aunt says looking over my shoulder.

"Thanks," I say proudly. "I just picked it up from the dealership two days ago."

Ashlyn laughs before giving the young forward another round of congratulations before leading her to the kitchen.

"So where's Ali," I ask looking around before following Ashlyn to the kitchen of the house.

"She's on the phone in the other room, she'll be out in a few. Want to play FIFA while we wait," Ashlyn asks mischievously.

I laugh at my aunt's request. "You sure you want to lose," I question in a teasing manner.

Ashlyn scoffs.

"Kid no way you can beat me. I have a magical formation," she says walking over to the living room where the gaming console was.

I followed closely behind her chuckling to myself.

Ashlyn reminded me a lot of my mama. Both were kids at heart, lovable and genuinely hilarious.

I sat down on the cushioned sofa as I was handed a controller. Ashlyn sat next to me and we both started playing as we waited patiently.

After two games Ali finally made a appearance in the living room. However, she went unnoticed as her niece and wife continued to play their video game.

"What?! No way you can do that in real life," Ashlyn said loudly looking in disbelief as my team scored another goal.

"I thought you said you had a good formation," I say laughing at my distraught aunt.

"Yeah well you're probably cheating. I mean come on that shot was bullshit."

"Hey don't cuss in front of the kid," Ali said making her way towards the couch.

Ashlyn nearly jumped out of her seat at the sound of her wife's unsuspecting voice (much to her niece's delight).

"Hi, Aunt Ali," I say wrapping my arms around my second godparent (Kelley being my first).

"Hayley! It's so good to see you sweetheart," Ali said returning my embrace.

After that Ali led me to her home office. Aunt Ali kept everything special to her in this office. On the shelves she had her trophies, on the wall she had her PSU diploma, and on her desk she had her wedding picture along with a family portrait.

As we both got settled Ali walked me through the situation at hand.

Basically both Nike and Adidas wanted to sign a contract with me. The only problem was...I was still a teenager in high school. If I ever wanted to play college ball I would have to be considered an 'amateur'. And if I accept endorsements from Adidas or Nike than my amateur status would be rebuked. Which means I won't be able to play at any college of my choice in the fall. So in other words Ali was basically telling me how a endorsement deal at this time in my life would be a no go.

"What If i skip college and go straight to the NWSL?" Ali stopped reading the documents in front of her to look at me surprisingly. "Well..," she started to say before I cut her off.

"I would just have to finish high school, then find a club, and then I can sign with whoever I want. Right?"

Ali looked at me again, not really sure what to say.

Eventually she gave me her honest opinion. "I mean in retrospect you can do that, but honestly Hay...your moms aren't gonna let you drop out."

I knew she was right. I was just throwing in the last option.

"I guess I'll just have to wait," I say looking down at my hands before looking back at my aunt.

"Yeah but on the bright side, at least we'll be seeing you in cardinal red pretty soon," she says smiling at me sadly.

I smiled back at Ali with more enthusiasm because I knew deep down that she was right.

I couldn't wait to play for Stanford.

Nevertheless, Ali knew I was excited to get my own endorsement deal.

Hell, it was all I could talk about since both Nike and Adidas had contacted me. I couldn't wait to come out in commercials and have my own customized cleats in stores. It was my final step to going pro in some way. I remember what the Nike executive had told me over the phone.

" _Ms. Johnston we study every player before we think about investing in them. We study statistics and go with facts. And currently it is your jersey that people are buying out of stock, and it is your face that people pay to see in games. When you're the best player in your sport that's bound to happen_ ," the executive on the other end told me quickly.

I knew that the man was saying what he needed to say to seal a deal with me, but he wasn't lying.

My jersey had made the most amount of profit for the federation in the last year (at least that's what Ali was told). A flow chart of audience turnout showed that fewer people came to games when I was out on injury, and currently my social media pages were one of the most followed on the team.

I mean I was a soccer player, and a damn good one. So naturally, I got a huge following.

Believe me I'm not trying to be cocky when I say that, I'm just being honest.

At this point in my life, I was considered the best player on the national team (or at least the most impressive).

But that wasn't good enough.

I wanted to be the best player amongst all the national teams.

I wanted to be the best player in the world.

And I wanted a high end endorsement to seal the deal.

"Mom?" A voice asked from the entrance of the office.

I turned my attention at the interruption. My eyes quickly found a girl around my age with brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing some soccer gear and had her hair pulled up in a neat bun.

"Mama is dropping me off at soccer practice," she said evenly before staring at me.

For a minute we both stared at each other.

As I realized what we were doing I quickly felt my face heat up with color. I ducked my head slightly looking back at Ali.

"Oh yeah! Ava, this is Christen and Julie's daughter Hayley. You guys should remember each other," Aunt Ali said smiling which allowed the crinkle on her nose to show.

"Hey," I say waving my hand slightly.

"Hi," the other girl said with much more enthusiasm as she walked across the room to shake my hand.

"Mom you didn't really have to introduce a celebrity to me," the girl said to her mother before pulling her hand away.

My face got hotter. For the first time in my life I hated that the topic of discussion was about me.

Ali laughed and to be honest it was comforting. It made the situation less tense on my side.

"I'm just kidding. But it's good to see you, I think the last time we saw each other we must've been in diapers," the girl told me genuinely.

I nodded my head in agreement allowing the memory to reenter my mind. My parents had told me before that they had booked vacations with Ali and Ash several times in the beginning of their marriage. Not only because they were both newly weds, but also because they were both young parents who understood each other.

In some of those vacations they went by themselves and in others they took us (their kids). I don't remember much, considering that I was probably a toddler, but my parents always told me that me and Ava were the best of pals.

"Honey you should probably get going before your mom grows impatient," Ali says jokingly before getting out from behind her desk and leading her daughter out of the study.

I sat there awkwardly waiting for Ali to return. When she did I thanked her for her efforts and bid her goodbye.

"Bye Aunt Ali," I tell the former defender as I give her a quick hug.

"Bye sweetheart," she replies reciprocating my actions.

"And don't worry. That endorsement deal won't go away. You just keep playing how you're playing. We'll sign a contract one day," she says to me before leading me to the front door of the Krieger-Harris household.

As I'm walking to my car I see Ava and Ashlyn backing out of the drive way to leave. They both see me through the front window of their car and wave at me.

I look towards them and wave back.

I'm not sure what happened after that but my mind shifted gears and I lifted my hand to tell them to stop.

Ashlyn (who was driving) confusingly pressed on the brakes stopping the car. I jogged over to the old jeep my aunt has maintained for years.

I stopped by the passenger side in which Ava was occupying. She rolled down the window at the site of me.

"Hey," I say to the both of them.

"Hey kid what's up," Ashlyn answers back curiously.

"Oh it's nothing...I just wanted to get your guys' number...my moms have been talking about getting together. Like old times," I lie smoothly.

"Sweet! The squad reuniting," Ashlyn says with a toothy grin, while her daughter groans at her mother's behavior.

"Ma please don't," the teenager whines towards her blonde haired mother, making me chuckle.

"Here," the brown haired girl says while grabbing my phone. She quickly types out her number as well as Ashlyn's and saves it to my contact list.

"Thanks, I'll call you guys so we can set up some plans," I say genuinely happy.

I didn't realize that I was speaking directly towards Ava until Aunt Ash interrupted me.

"Yeah and tell JJ that I want a rematch in Fifa with the both of you!"

"Mom, let it go your formation isn't that great."

Ashlyn gasped mockingly putting her hand to her heart.

"I can't believe my own kid would turn her back on me so quickly. I told Ali we should've just gotten some pets," Ashlyn says laughing as Ava lightly shoves her.

"Okay, well I have to go," I say breaking the mother-daughter moment (that reminded me so much of my the relationship I shared with my mom).

"Alright kid see you soon," Ashlyn says shifting gears.

"Bye," Ava says to me as she waves her hand and proceeds to roll up her window.

"Bye," I reply quietly.

Her brown eyes were so intoxicating.

I shook my head lightly before walking back to my car.

I sat down in the drivers seat for a few minutes.

The new car smell had yet to disappear.

I turned on the engine and smiled to myself.

Sure I didn't leave with a endorsement deal that night...but at least I got her number.


	6. National Team Victory

**Several months later  
Christen POV**

I grazed my teeth over my bottom lip for the hundredth time that day. It was a nervous tick of mine. Along with bouncing my leg up and down and cleaning.

As I began to think again about the situation, I felt a hand on my knee. I looked up from where I was staring. Almost instantly I was met with concerning crystal blue eyes.

"Are you okay Chris," Julie asked me moving closer to my side.

I nod my head and give her a weak smile.

She sympathetically opens her arms for me to go into. I can't help but move closer towards her. I inhale her scent, giving me a sense of comfort. The game tonight will have harsh weather conditions. It was late so the stadium was completely illuminated by the stadium lights.

The light drizzle made it difficult to keep one's eyes open for too long. My eyelashes constantly felt heavy from the little rain droplets. I found myself wiping at my face in order to see the field in front of me.

Julie and I (along with the Krieger- Harris clan) got seats at the top of the stadium in order to avoid the rowdy fans. The game had yet to start but that didn't stop the fans from chanting and singing loudly.

 _U S A.._  
U S A..  
U S A..

"Don't worry Chris, she'll do fine. She always does," Julie said as she places a light kiss on my temple.

Deep down I knew she was right. But a mother can't help but worry.

The game begins typically with a ceremony consisting of national anthems and a coin toss.

I sit up once I notice a small figure (at least small from up here) placing a ball at the center of the field indicating the beginning of a kick off.

The player is wearing a blue jersey with the number **'7'** in the back along with the name ' **Johnston'**.

The hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up at the sight.  
This wasn't the girls' first national team appearance (and it most likely wouldn't be her last) but this game was important.

My train of thought comes back into focus as I hear the distinct sound of the officials whistle blow.

Hayley Johnston kicks the ball forward beginning the first half.

Germany was always a tough team to break down, and today would be no different in doing so.

The game starts off fast paced. Both teams try desperately to break the other's defense.

Hayley remains marked at the upper end of the field. The stadium has a big teleprompter which shows the young eighteen year old player from a close angle. Below the girl's face is a caption which states, 'Player To Watch'.

When Hay's face makes a appearance on the screen the crowd becomes animated. Whistles and applause fills the air along with a supportive chant.

L _et's go Johnston! Let's go!  
Let's go Johnston! Let's go.._

The crowd repeats the saying several times before dying down and starting the typical USA chant once again.

So far it seemed that the opponents on the field were evenly matched. The teleprompter indicated that both teams had 6 shots on target respectively, but no goal (at least not yet).

The official blew her whistle as she ran up and pointed to the spot in which Hayley and a German player were fighting for the ball.

The crowd boo's loudly.

Hayley shakes her head laughing as the ref calls the foul on her. She pulls the hem of her shirt mouthing the words "She pulled on me".

The referee shook her head and told the German player to proceed with the ball.

The game continues as the German midfielder resumes play and passes down field towards goal. Instantly the ball manages to find it's way towards Germany's center forward Melanie Šašić.

Melanie Šašić was Germany's prized striker and Hayley's biggest competitor. The question of 'who was better' often surrounded the two young players.

That's why this game was such a big deal.

It wasn't just two rival teams facing off, but also two rival players.

Despite the hype between the two strikers, neither one of the girls ever exchanged more than three words to each other.

As I turned my attention back to the German forward I noticed she was dangerously close to goal.

Šašić hits the ball with power and gets the shot on target, but thankfully Jessica is able to deflect the impact.

Corner for Germany.

The official takes the ball to the corner where a German midfielder sets the ball on the line and sends it in straight towards a 5"9 tall defender.

Fortunately one of the US defenders heads the ball away to clear it. As the ball goes away from goal another US player gets it into her possession and begins to set up a play for the counter attack.

Hayley instantly makes her self open on the right wing waiting for the defender to pass to her. Once she get the ball she takes off at a fast pace.

The girl doesn't turn around after that. She simply runs forward away from two pressuring German defenders who are right on her tail (and catching up quickly).

When she finally gets close enough to the other corner of the field she cuts back with the ball unexpectedly.

The movement results in one german defender slipping and falling on her side while the other defender runs ahead accidentally.

Hayley, unscathed, moves quickly to the corner of Germany's penalty box.

The foreign goalkeeper quickly begins to retreat to her line while trying to make herself bigger and covering the closest corner with her body.

Noticing the little amount of time she has left, Hayley shoots from outside the box.

The ball is dead, it has no backspin or curve, but it manages to find its way into the upper right corner, just past the goalkeepers reach.

The stadium roars in surprise and delight. If anyone was sitting down when that play started, they were standing up by the time it finished.

Hayley stretches her hands to her sides nodding in acknowledgment towards the crowd.

The 18 year old than lifts the hem of her soccer shorts a tad bit and points at her thigh muscle.

"It's as if she's saying 'yeah that's where the power comes from," Ashlyn yells over Ali to me and Julie as she observes Hayley's celebration. Ava laughs at her mother's comment agreeing with her full heartedly.

"Yeah she gets those legs from her mom," Julie jokes as she nuzzles her nose against my cheek.

I laugh lightly at her antics before giving her a big celebratory kiss. It was the 45th minute and The US were leading by one goal.

The announcer from the stadium quickly commented that the," _Goal in the 45th minute came from US' very own, number 7, Hayley..._ "

To which the crowd replied back in a united battle cry,

" _JOHNSTON!!"_

The ref blew her whistle to indicate half time. As the teams walked into the tunnle I knew that something special would come out of this game.

Call it mother's instinct if you will, but long story short I had been right.

The US went on to beat Germany 3-0.  
All the goals made by the US' very own, number 7, Hayley Johnston.

That was one of the last few games that the home crowd showed nothing but absolute love and adoration towards my daughter. 


	7. Some People Hate Me/Some People Love Me

**Four years later  
Christen POV**

The leather sofa was cozy, the fact that I was leaning against Julie helped though. I rested my head on her lap as she nosily ate popcorn out of a big bowl.

Taylor sat on Julie's other side with her legs stretched out on the sofa's arm chair and her head resting on her mama's arm. She occasionally got a handful of her mother's popcorn before returning her attention to her phone.

"Mama when is the game gonna start," the young girl asked her blue eyed mother as she snuggled deeper into her side.

"In a couple of minutes," Julie replied as she surfed through the channels before landing on the one in which the game would be broadcasted on.

Taylor got up off the couch announcing that she was going to use the bathroom.

"Tay when you get back bring me some water," I yelled out to her before she disappeared out of sight.

I relaxed back into my wife. It may not seem like it, but Julie was the most comfortable person to just lay on.

I sighed contently as she wrapped her arm around my waist and reached for the remote.

The former defender raised the volume on the TV to hear what the broadcasters were saying before the game started.

It was always a panel of retired players or coaches talking on these things.

They always tried to predict ahead of time who would win and who would score. They would also throw in some sports gossip every once in a while.

I listened intently to the people on the panel, despite my better judgement.

" _So again we see Germany face off with the US in the final. Both will be battling to win the SheBelieves Cup. Keep in mind that the US have been defending champions since the tournament inaugural season in 2016.  
John, how do you think it will end tonight,"_ the host asked one of the guest.

" _Well in my honest opinion I think Germany's gonna take the cake. There is no way anyone is gonna stop Šašić from scoring,_ " a man with a bright smile and tacky tie replied with a heavy English accent.

A woman sitting to the right of the man agreed saying, " _Absolutely. I think Germany has prepared for this, I think Šašić is in good form and I just feel like tonight it will be a no brainer. Germany for me."_

The host smiled brightly for a second at the two before turing to the last guest which happened to be a familiar face.

" _Jill who do you think will win tonight? Do I even have to ask,"_ he says before chuckling at his own question.

The retired coach smiles at the host before answering.

" _For me, personally, the US will take home a win tonight. Perhaps I'm being biased, but they were strong when I had them and they're stronger now under Abby. I have a feeling the US can take on Germany tonight."_

_"And what do you think about the player to watch tonight for the US, Hayley Johnston?"_

" _I feel like Johnston has a chance to make a difference out there just as much as anybody else. She's talented and hopefully it'll show tonight."_

" _Well I disagree_ ," says the man with the tacky tie.

" _If I compare Johnston and Šašic, Šašic would win every single time_."

" _Yeah_ ," the woman joined in.

" _Johnston is good, but Šašic is great. You only get a player like that once in a lifetime. No competition_."

The host raised his notecards and read the next question.

" _Do any of you want to elaborate on the different players and on why one is better than the other one."_

The man sat forward and explained his opinion.

"Šašic _is dynamic and naturally talented. She may not be as fast as Johnston, but all her other skills can make up for that."_

The woman next to him agreed.

" _Johnston is like a robot. It seems that she was made to be a footballer while Šašic was born to be a footballer. To me Šašic is the best female footballer in the world_."

The man nodded his head in agreement, " _ditto_ ".

Jill Elis was last to answer simply stating that if she had to choose one of the two to play on her team she'd choose Hayley.

" _To me It seems that Hayley could have played any sport in the world and she was going to be good at it. It isn't because her body is 'robotic' and is programmed that way, but because her mentality to exceed her limitations is so powerful. Yes, Šašic was destined to play soccer, but Hayley was destined to be the best at anything she set her mind to...and that just so happens to be soccer. If you want to ask who the best female soccer player is..I'll say Johnston. She amazes me."_

The host stops the debate and leads the audience to a commercial break, but not before mentioning the online poll on Melanie and Hayley.

"Vote on our social media websites and tell us who you think is the better player."

"That was nice of Jill to say," I tell Julie in a soft voice.

It hurt sometimes.

Other people tend to criticize a player so easily that they forget that eventually all of it comes back to them. Jules and I have always tried to shelter Hayley from that as much as possible.

Nevertheless, sometimes we hear it and it makes us hurt.

I mean how can it not.

She is our daughter, and we see the efforts she puts day in and out. Sometimes I wish other people saw her like we did.

Julie caught on to my mood instantly.  
She looked down at me in her lap before running her hands through my dark hair.

"Chris don't take this stuff to heart. We're beyond that. Not everyone's opinion has to matter."

I nod my head slightly before moving upwards to press my lips lightly to hers.

Julie smiles proudly, and I can't help but smile at her childish behavior.

"Mom here's your water," Taylor says tossing a bottle towards me.

The teenager than plops down on her side of the couch before looking at her phone again. She instantly reclaims her spot by her mother's side by resting her head on Julie's arm.

"By the way I voted for Hay on the poll thingy," she says absentmindedly.

Julie laughs slightly reaching over to her left to squeeze her daughter in a tight embrace.

"Aww you love your sister," she says in a mocking tone.

"Mama! Stop! You're suffocating me," the younger girl says loudly as she desperately tries to move away.

I slap Julie on the arm lightly while telling her to leave our youngest alone.

"Aw come on Chris I was just trying to spread the love," she says jokingly while pouting down at me.

I laugh at my wife's attempt to win me over.

"Jules leave the poor girl alone," I say through my smile.

She laughs along with me and kisses my forehead. We all turn our attention back to the flat screen in the middle of the room.

The poll came back and the result so far was close.

Johnston: 59%  
Šašic: 41%

My heart couldn't help but soar at the result.  
Even if it didn't have to matter.  
My daughter was always the best to me regardless.

"See, my vote counted," Taylor said proudly before returning her attention to her phone again.

"Its because you lovvveee your sister," Juile started to taunt again, but this time pinching the younger girl's cheeks.

"Mom! Tell her to stop," the teenager said with a exasperated tone.

I laughed lowly before tapping my wife on the arm indicating for her to let it go.

Julie chuckled lowly to herself before settling back into the couch like before.

The game started shortly after. It was a rushed with harsh tackles and many missed shots. The US had difficulty getting the ball to their forwards.

Part of the reason was due to the fact that there was a lot of interceptions in the midfield, however, another reason was that our forwards were heavily marked.

Whenever any of the US forwards were fortunate enough to touch the ball, a German defender would be there to take it away.

I could tell by the way Hayley kept looking at the clock that she was growing impatient. Aside from the fact that the US was having a difficult time keeping possession, the young striker had been fouled several times. The fouls consisted of shirt pulling, harsh slide tackles, and even foot stepping.

It was enough to rile us up here at home, I can only imagine how she felt in game.

"Oh, come on! No way they can count that on Dwyer," Taylor said sitting up.

The player she had previously mentioned was Victoria Dwyer, Dom and Syd's daughter. She was currently hanging her head low as the referee pulled out a yellow card from her back pocket. The ball went back to the Germans on a freekick.

Nothing came from the freekick, and eventually the US had gained possession again. The next play started in the midfield. Victoria had the ball and made a beautiful long pass to a surprisingly open Hayley.

The American striker brought the ball down impressively with her outside foot. She quickly controlled it and moved towards the edge of the box. It wasn't long before a German defender began to chase after her.

Hayley pulled her leg back to send in a cross from outside the box, but the German defender was able to kick the ball from under her and out of play.

Everything after that seemed to have happened so quickly.

An act of emotion occured that change the course of everything.

As soon as that German defender effortlessly cut the ball off, she was on the ground clutching her leg in agonizing pain. In a matter of seconds a swarm of German players surrounded the scene.

Two German defenders with fair hair shoved the American striker and began to yell at her animately. It wasn't long before the young striker reciprocated their actions defensively.

At the sight of this, other American players soon crowded the scene and began to pry apart the forward from the angry Germans.

The ref soon followed.

He quickly gathered control of the situation by motioning the medical staff to enter the field (to tend to the fallen German player) and by walking over to the young American striker raising a red card over her head.

The English commentary was all that could be heard in the living room in which we were sitting in.

'Oh, and there's the card..rightfully given in my opinion. It was such a nasty hit. Let's look at the repeat of that..'

The broadcast cut to a scene showing Hayley losing the ball than roughly kicking the defender in the calf out of anger. The hit was so hard the defender fell to the ground on impact, and even Hayley stumbled from the strike.

'Yeah, there's no doubt about it. I mean we all get frustrated, but that was just...it was just a cheap piece of play. Johnston's walking off the field.."

The camera quickly returned to its' live feed where everyone can clearly see Hayley angrily push off her teammates (who had previously been holding her back) and walking towards the bench.

When she reached the bench she ignored both Abby and the staff member who was holding up a jacket for her to put on.

She quickly retreated back to the tunnel of the stadium and out of the camera's view. The replay of the hit is repeated again before the game resumes.

The living room is still silent.

"Shit," Taylor says under her breath.

"Taylor," Julie scolds her youngest while giving her a look.

"Sorry," the teenager replies sheepishly.

"Chris?"

I look up to see Julie looking at me worriedly.

To be honest with you I was just shocked.

Before I could respond to my wife my phone buzzed in my lap. I read the incoming text quickly.

"Kelley: Hey Pressy I'm watching the game, I saw what happened. Do you want me and Hope to pick up Hay from the stadium? We are both in Seattle".

Kelley and Hope both lived close by to the stadium in which Hayley was playing at.

I replied to the text, but not before showing the conversation to Julie. She nodded her head at me before I pressed 'send'.

Just as my phone was processing the transaction, I heard the commentator scream 'goal' in delight.

"What a strike! Goal for Germany! 7th goal for Melanie Šašic in the tournament! Oh look at that though, look at the way that ball curves its way into net.."

I stared wide eyed at the TV. The odds were definitely not going to be on the home team's favor.

"Babe maybe it's best if we do something else.. just avoid..this," Julie said awkwardly pointing at the TV.

I turned to her sitting up straight and nodding my head.

The Germans went on to win 5-1.  
Šašic with the hattrick and one assist. The young German striker won the Golden Boot and Ball for her performance in the tournament. She also went on to receive the Player of the Match award.

Many people blamed Hayley for the loss. Many argued that the biggest disadvantage that day was playing one player down. Fans were angry and critical.

After that day many people believed that Hayley was a selfish player with a overconfident attitude.

A player that people hate to love and love to hate.

Not everyone turned their back on her though. Many fans still adored the 21 year old.

Nevertheless, even the few supporters remaining couldn't help but think that Hayley cost them the SheBelieves Cup and made the US retire their title of defending champions.

And although that was a devastating fact the real blow to her image was the incident that took place hours after the game had ended.

Apparently when Hope and Kelley called the 21 year old to pick her up, she did not respond.

Hayley had left the stadium and driven to a local bar in Seattle. She politely asked the bartenders to change the TV channel to the game she had just been dismissed from.

At the sight of her team losing 5 to nill the 21 year old began to drink heavily.

In all honesty the striker did not consume a lot of alcohol, but Hayley had never drank this much before and (for a lack of better words) was considered a light weight.

As she was leaving the bar she stood at the curb of the street trying to catch a cab. Unfortunately reporters had recognized the young star and began to antagonize her.

It wasn't a lot, but the striker got angry and threw down a reporter's camera.

It wasn't even past noon the next day that the incident was all over the news. Well at least any news network that had sports coverage.

Footage of the star throwing down the camera and pushing the reporter were inescapable.

After that Hayley had to sit down one game, and was suspended for an additional five. (For disorderly conduct) 

The only person that could get through to Hayley was Ali and Ashlyn's daughter Ava. But not even Ava could prevent the drought of losses the US faced after Hayley's suspension.

In six games the US was only able to pull in two solid wins, one tie, and four loses. A personal record for the team.

The federation was blamed for banning their best player, but Hayley was blamed for being banned.

When Hayley finally did return to play she was greeted back with a lukewarm welcome.

Some fans were ecstatic to see her return, others were still bitter. In the end, however, the damage was done.

It was more noticeable to Julie and I. After all we went to as many games as we possibly could.

Overnight stadiums filled with chants of encouragement and adoration towards our daughter quickly turned to chants of antagonization and sometimes ridicule.

As a mother it was saddening.

Even if Hayley said she didn't mind. Even if she said that she liked to prove people wrong.  
I could sense that it hurt her to know that she no longer had a home crowd anywhere.


	8. Humble Beginnings

**17 years ago**

**Hayley (5 years old)**

"Mama! Higher! Higher," the younger girl squealed in delight as her mother lifted her off the ground into her arms.

"Mama go higher! Go higher," she commanded innocently as she raised her hands in anticipation.

The blonde mother laughed along to her daughters squeals as she lightly tossed the girl several times in the air before catching her effortlessly.

"Jules?" A recognizable voice calls out from the kitchen, "is that you?"

"Yeah Chris, we're in the living room," the younger woman announces happily.

The former striker walks into the living room area and smiles up at her wife before going in for a hug.

They kiss lightly on the lips before turning their attention to the young girl cradled in the former defenders arms.

The family settle themselves on the dinning room couch to watch a soccer game that Kelley was currently playing in.

"Mom look! Aunt Kelley," the younger girl said excitedly as she looked in awe at the TV.

Christen nodded kissing the girl's head lightly. Julie was sitting close by and rested against Christen's shoulder.

"Hay, who do you love the most in the world," Julie teasingly asked already knowing the answer.

"You and mom," her daughter replied with a toothy grin before moving over to settle on Julie's lap as they watched the game.

"We're everyone you love," Christen played along as she snuggled closer to her wife.

"And the baby," the young girl replied excitedly as she referred to her younger sister, who had yet to be born.

Christen pressed a hand over her baby bump and smiled softly. She knew the young girl was excited to have a new sibling.

"And that's it?"

Hayley shook her head.

"I also love Aunt Kelley and grandma and grandpa and..," the girl pondered as she listed the names of everyone she could think of.

"...and soccer," the girl replied eagerly to her mothers before giving them a huge smile.

Julie and Christen laughed amusingly at the five year old as they agreed that they loved the same things.

**17 years later  
Hayley's pov (21 years old)**

The rough Seattle air was cold enough to leave goosebumps up my arms and on the back of my neck. I shuddered as I pulled my overcoat tighter against my body. The fields were practically empty. Probably because it was so early.

"Hayley!"

The sound of my name made me whip my head around. I was instantly met with a five foot nine former goalkeeper which made me smile slightly.

"Hey, kiddo. How's it going," the keeper said wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

I uncharacteristically fell into the older woman's embrace catching her off guard.

I had known Hope since I was a teen and in a way I saw her as family, just like how I saw Kelley as an aunt (even if we were never biologically related).

The goalkeeper was not good with intimacy, to say the least, and the initial shock of the young girl clinging on to her made her go stiff.

Hayley let go once she felt Hope tense up and looked up sheepishly.

"Sorry," the young girl said rubbing the back of her neck.

Hope smiled softly at the striker. Mostly out of understanding. She felt bad that she let the girl feel the need to pull away when she was obviously looking for some comfort.

"It's fine kid."

Hayley sighed, "I guess I just missed being around you guys."

Hope nodded her head looking ahead at the soccer fields.

"It happens."

The two stood before the field in a comfortable silence.

"Want to practice penalties?"

The goal keeper looked over with a smirk on her face. She cooly excepted the young striker's challenge.

Hayley smiled a little more than she had when she first saw the keeper enter the empty parking lot.

Eventually both players made their way onto the worn out field. Hope set up in goal after putting on her gear and warming up. Hayley set up in the penalty box after stretching.

"You ready," the striker called out to the goalie.

Hope nodded her head before reverting to her goalkeeper stance on the line.

The duo practiced together for a couple of minutes. Banter flew freely between the two as they both tried to out do each other. Hope eventually suggested a break and proceeded to sit against the goal pole nearest to her.

"I'm not as young as I think I am," the former world champion said as she sat down with a huff.

Hope wiped the sweat from her forehead before taking a swing from her water bottle and offering it to the younger player.

Hayley waved off the offer and proceeded to sit next to the keeper on the ground.

They both sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes as Hope leisurely drank water. Hayley played with the grass near her feet, sometimes pulling a strand or two before tossing it back on the field.

"You're not old."

"What?"

Hayley looked away from the ground and to the keeper.

"I said you're not old."

Hope chuckled to herself as she finished the remains of the water bottle.

"You should've seen me when I was in college.  
I was much faster.  
A lot more agile too."

"But you're still good. You can still play with the Reign if you wanted too. Probably win a championship or something," Hayley said honestly.

Hope chuckle once more as she tossed the empty water bottle into her workout bag.

"I could but in all honesty one must know when to put things to rest," the retired player said lowly.

"You can't have everything for ever," she said a little louder shrugging.

Hayley nodded in agreement. She understood what Hope was trying to say. One day she would want to walk away from everything too. It happens to everyone.

"I hate soccer."

Hope looked over to the young striker blankly not completely sure if she heard her right.

"I don't enjoy it. People don't enjoy me," she said looking down at the grass shrugging her shoulders a bit.

"It seems a little much considering that all I do is kick a ball around a field.."

"But you do it so effortlessly. That's why your getting paid for it. Anyone can play sure, but not everyone can _play_. You understand what I'm trying to say," Hope said towards the forward.

Hayley shook her head.

"What's the point if it's not fun. If I don't love it, then what is this all for," she said raising her palms and motioning towards the field.

Hope sighed, but not in defeat.  
She braced herself for the heart to heart that she knew was bound to happen between her and the younger player.

"I felt the same you know. I'm sure you've heard before, or maybe your parents never mentioned it, but I had my fair share of screw ups with the team."

Hayley looked at her sympathetically. Her parents had told her the stories about Hope and how she had once been ostracized by the national team.

"Well, I learned to cope with that by focusing on what I wanted. Even if what I wanted wasn't always clear. I knew I wanted to be the best goal keeper. I didn't want people to doubt that."

Hayley smiled fondly loving the way that Hope was so confident in herself. It was something she admired in the retiree.

"It wasn't until I found Kelley that I started to realize that gaining a trophy here...winning a tournament there...all of that meant nothing if there was no one to share it with. Maybe your too young and haven't met the right person  to understand that, but it doesn't always have to be someone romantic.  
Sometimes it's just family. Sometimes it's your teammates. That's what made soccer enjoyable for me. What made it worth it."

Hayley had let the words sink in. Her mind had drifted towards the people in her life. Her moms, her sister, and even Ava.

"I had planned to retire in 2013. I waited out because Kelley was still being called into camps," Hope said laughing lightly to herself.

"I wanted to share that World Cup trophy with her. I wanted one for myself too sure, but it meant so much more to have her there with me. And when she scored that goal against Germany, I just about cried," the keeper said getting a bit emotional.

Hope cleared her throat and proceeded with her tale.

"We all do stupid shit Hay. I use to believe that people prefer to see the worst in us, but as I got older I realized that more people are rooting for us than not."

Hope held the younger girl's hand in her own. It took the striker by surprise but she allowed the gesture. Hayley met the goalie's gaze and allowed the older woman to continue.

"Don't let this change your mind about the game. There's no point in hating something you love. And stop playing for the stats. Fuck the stats! Fuck the records! Fuck that stupid imaginary rivalry you have with Sasic," she said in a rougher tone in a effort to get through to the girl.

"No one cares about that. Your moms don't, Abby doesn't, and Ava doesn't. I know you want to achieve a lot, but those things come with time, with patience. You're still so young. Enjoy playing while you still can."

Hayley did not let her gaze falter as she replied back to the intimidating woman.

"I can't help but think that it's my fault. Because deep down I know it is. I take things too far. I'm selfish and arrogant. Face it Hope I'm a bitch..."

"Oh please Hayley," Hope scoffed as she cut off the rambling girl.

"You're 21 years old! Of course you think you're on top of the world!  
Hell, you think you're arrogant?! You should've seen me when I was 21. I thought I was top shit because I didn't stumble in goal. It took some mistakes to humble me, but it worked out. People forget and most importantly they learn to forgive. You have to forgive yourself too though. Forget all this nonsense about what you are and what you're not. If you don't like something you can always change it, Hay."

"Hope that's different everyone hates me. Just the other day when we were playing in Houston someone threw a water bottle at my head. Fuck that! I mean I'd rather retire now that way I can salvage the little amount of respect people still have for me."

The older keeper glared at the younger woman before standing up. She roughly grabbed the girl by the arm and brought her up as well.

The striker was taken aback by the sudden use of force and she stood still in shock and a little in fear.

"Listen Hayley Grace, and listen to me good," the keeper said in a stern voice silencing any response the striker had on her lips.

"I understand your frustration, and I understand your pain, but I will not let you throw yourself a pity party. You made a mistake, hell maybe more than one. You say your selfish and arrogant. You want to win and nothing will stand in your way of that, right?"

Hayley nods her head not trusting her voice to carry out her reply.

"Well I'm here to tell you the truth.  
Yes, at times you are selfish and arrogant. And yes you can act like a stubborn mule, and maybe even a spoiled brat.."

Hayley bowed her head at Hope's words as they melted themselves into her brain. She knew this all too well. Her eyes prickled with tears she refused to shed. She hadn't expected for Hope to be so blunt.

"...And you're wrong about nothing being able to  stand in your way," the older woman continued.

"There's always going to be one person holding you back and that's yourself. You don't always have to be the antagonist to your own story, but if you never change than you'll never be the protagonist either."

Hope took in a deep breath as she looked down at the girl in front of her who was almost to her height. She had shrunken back a bit as Hope started addressing her directly on her attitude.

"But Hayley all of that is minimal. All things, good and bad, pass. Eventually everything passes and we learn and we grow. The good thing is you know your flaws."

Hayley looked up after Hope said that.

The goalkeeper couldn't help but smile lightly down at her.

"Now all you got to do is fix them.  
Just like in soccer.  
If your doing something wrong, stop and start doing it right."

Hope released the girl's arm and took a step back catching her breath.

In the next instant Hayley threw herself at the older woman wrapping her up in a tight embrace.

At first the former goalie stumbled back a few steps from the sudden movement but eventually gained her footing and hugged back. She held the younger girl for a while as the striker took comfort in her arms.

"Thank you, Aunt Hope," Hayley said as she buried her face in the keeper's shoulder. Embarrassingly she would be leaving some tear stains.

Hope patted the girl on the back while mentally patting herself on the back for her speech.

She knew that the girl just needed a good talking to. The 21 year old was in need of a reality check to help her get back on the right track. She needed to retreat back to her old self. The Hayley that wasn't so competitive. The Hayley that had existed before the youth teams. The Hayley that had played for the love of the game and not so much for the fame and prestige.

"No problem kiddo."

The moment was interrupted as Hope's familiar ringtone going off from inside her bag. The keeper separated herself from the girl slowly before reaching down to answer the call.

Hayley wiped her tear strained cheeks as Hope spoke softly into the phone.

"Okay, sounds good. See you in a bit," the keeper said before ending the phone call and returning her attention to the 21 year old in front of her.

"That was Kelley. She called to check up, but she also mentioned that, and I quote, 'She hasn't seen you in ages and that I better bring you back to the house to have dinner'."

Hayley chuckled expectingly at Hope's predicament.

"Okay I'll go. I took a bus here so you might have to give me a ride."

"Sounds good kid," Hope said as she slung her bag across her shoulder and proceeded to walk off the field with the striker.


	9. Fresh Start

**(1 month later)**

**Hayley's pov (21 years old)**  

California will always hold a special place in my heart. It's where I grew up. It's were I joined my first soccer team, and possibly scored my first goal.

It's the place my parents started their family. It's the place where they planted their roots. Even if the cost of living here was insane they knew that they wanted to raise their future kids in Cali.

Maybe it was the fact that the city of lights had a lot of educational opportunities, or the fact that both of my parents started working at the local universities shortly after retirement.

Either way California was my home and it was going to be devastating to leave it. Especially since I started planting roots of my own here.

"Hey what are you going to order?"

I let the question hang in the air for a few seconds before looking up from my menu and answering the girl sitting across from me.

"Probably the pasta, coach said it was alright to eat carbs today."

Ava looked at her girlfriend expectingly. She knew the other girl loved pasta but rarely ate it because her nutritional plan requires so little of it.

After contemplating the options on the menu Ava placed her menu down. Just as she did this she felt a hand move across the table to find hers.

The browned eyed girl smiled as she lightly let her hand be held. She looked over to see her girlfriend staring back lovingly at her.

Hayley had a lazy smile on her face as she squeezed her beloveds hand gently. Ava returned the smile with one of her own.

Hayley raised her girlfriend's hand and kissed the top of it soothingly and proceeded to brushed her thumb in soft patterns across the surface.

"I'm so happy you got the week off," the younger girl stated.

"Yeah me too," Hayley replied sincerely.

Every since Hayley started playing with the national team she was forced to put her whole life on hold.

It seemed that no matter what soccer had to be one of her major priorities. And being a major priority requested a lot of time and attention.

For starters, weekends were rarely never open for the striker to do anything other than practice (either with her national or club team).

For this reason alone it was difficult to have 'date nights' with her girlfriend.

Ava didn't mind though.   
She was understanding like that.   
Of course it bothered her sometimes that her girlfriend was spread thin by the demands of professional soccer, but she understood. Ava got that Hayley loved this, that she lived for it.

Perhaps Ava understood her girlfriend so well because she herself could relate to the feeling.

At the tender age of 20 Ava was still trying to secure a spot on the national team herself. Of course right now college and her club team were also commitments, but a roster spot to the next Olympic games were never far from her thoughts.

Hayley admired the younger girl for that.

"So why the fancy dinner?"

I looked at her for a second coming back down from my mental haze.

"I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate you."

The statement was weighted a little with seriousness and honesty. Ava knew instantly that this dinner was more than just a way to impress one's girlfriend.

Ava's eyebrows frowned together in confusion. After being with her girlfriend for 3 years she knew when Hayley was unsettled.

"Babe, is everything okay?"

Ava knew instantly that Hayley was trying to hide something. The older girl had acted 'strangely' all day. Aside from that she had pampered Ava more than usual. And although the younger girl loved the extra attention (and the new pandora charm that Hayley bought on whim for her) she couldn't help but feel that her girlfriend was hiding something.

"Yeah, everything's good."

Ava subconsciously rolled her eyes.

_She's always so difficult._

"Hay, you know you can trust me with anything. It's you and me remember. Forever and for always," the younger girl said lowly for only her girlfriend to hear.

Hayley looked up from her plate. She was met with honest brown orbs that bore into her green eyes. Instantly she felt her emotional barriers beginning to break.

"I have to tell you something," the striker said slowly looking down.

"What is it," Ava pushed as she gently squeezed the other girl's hand in her own.

"The female league in Spain is expanding even more..Ali called me this morning to tell me."

Ava leaned forward a little from her position.

"Is that all," she ask confused.

"No. There's more. Maybe we should wait until we get back to my place.."Hayley said looking around at the quiet atmosphere.

"Hay, it's fine just tell me," Ava insisted.

Hayley sighed as she realized that her stubborn girlfriend was not going to budge until she revealed everything to her.

"The Spanish league is making a new team. It's in coordination with an existing male team...I'm still not sure of the full details," the striker sighs heavily before continuing.

"Your mom told me because..because they're interested in me. The league has grown so much, but starting a new team can be tough and they want players who are going to bring in crowds," Hayley looked up to see her girlfriend staring back at her before continuing.

"They called up a couple of other players that they hope will help the team in it's inaugural season."

"Is that all," Ava asked concerned.

Quite honestly she was still a little lost. She understood what her girlfriend was saying but she couldn't understand why she was so nervous.

"Av, I think I'm going to accept their offer. I still don't know the full details and I won't until tomorrow, but I do know that they want to sign me for a lot of money and they believe in me..."

"You want to sign with them," Ava said slowly.

"Yeah I thought about it.."

"You thought about it," Ava asked cutting the other girl off.

"Well thank god one of us got a chance to do that," the younger girl said under her breath as she got up from the table and proceeded to walk out of the restaurant.

Hayley called after her girlfriend in a hushed tone, in a attempt to avoid making to much noise in the quiet restaurant.

The striker quickly got up and left behind money for the bill and tip.

She quickly made a dash for the other girl before she disappeared completely.

As soon as the forward was outside of the restaurant she scanned the area until she found who she was looking for.

A block or two down from where she was standing she saw Ava trying to catch a cab in the crowded streets.

She jogged over quietly as to not alarm the other girl completely.

"Ava!"

When the brown eye'd girl heard her name she turned around. She quickly glanced at her girlfriend before huffing and turning on her heel to walk in the opposite direction.

Hayley caught up quickly and grabbed onto shoulder.

"Ava, wait, please let me explain everything..."

"Don't touch me," Ava said quietly as she proceeded to keep walking with Hayley on her heel.

Hayley instantly granted the other girl's request by lifting her hand away but she continued to follow her.

"Ava, please listen to me. I know your upset I would be too, but this might help..please just take a cab with me back to your place. After that I'll leave you alone.."

Ava stopped walking and looked up at her girlfriend. The younger girl wasn't angry she was hurt. It hit Hayley like a wave to see the other girl's eyes puddling with tears. She quickly blinked them away and brought up her hand to wipe at her face.

"Fine," she said quietly allowing the older girl to call a cab for the both of them.

As soon as they both got in, Hayley told the cab driver the number to the Krieger-Harris address.

"Will your parents be home?" Hayley questioned curiously.

"Ma might be."

Hayley gulped despite herself.

Ashlyn will kill me if she even suspects that I made her little girl cry.

"Av, I haven't told them yes. I won't know everything until tomorrow. I wanted to tell you first. But...I want to tell them yes," the older girl admitted.

"Why," Ava questioned quietly.

She couldn't grasp why her girlfriend was so willing to leave her behind to play somewhere else. She didn't think they'd ever have to do long distance, and quite frankly she didn't want to do long distance. It was making her physically ill to just think about.

"It will be a fresh start. I need a fresh start, Av."

Ava shook her head.

"And you can't get a fresh start here. You have to move overseas to do that," the younger girl exclaimed while questioning her girlfriend's reasoning.

"Ava, you don't get it..."

"Yeah I really don't," the brown haired girl admitted.

"It's not that simple. I need to leave. Everyone here hates me. I can't play a game without someone throwing a water bottle at me or chanting rude things. Av, I hate it," the striker said quietly as tears threatened to stain her face.

"I can't stand it," the forward said to herself as she sunk back into the backseat.

"But in Spain no one will care. I would be able to play and have fun again. I'll just be another player over there. Nothing special, just a player."

Hayley quickly hid her face. She doesn't think about that night anymore. But that doesn't mean that other people don't think about it.

It was one thing for the national team fans to dislike me, but it was another thing when my club team in Cali began to do the same.

'The sad thing is...it wasn't always like this' , Hayley Press-Johnston thought to herself as she looked out the window.

Ava reached over to intwine her fingers into the older girl's hand.

"Hay, calm down," she whispered in her ear as she came closer.

"You're okay baby just relax."

Hayley breathed in and out at a steady pace. She instantly felt better at the warm touch of her beloved. She sighed slowly before looking down to met brown orbs staring back at her.

"Hay, I get it. I was just upset because..well because it seems that I never see you anymore. It's so unfair.."

"I know Av, trust me I know. I just...I just need to do this. Please understand," Hayley explained while she looked intently into the other girl's eyes.

Several minutes passed before either girl moved.

"I understand."

"What," Hayley questioned not fully hearing what her girlfriend had said.

"Go.   
I understand. I get why you want this...why you need this.   
Go."

Hayley's eyes almost filled with tears as she heard her selfless girlfriend give her the ultimate blessing.

I really don't deserve her.

She leaned over to kiss the shorter girl.

Ava pushed herself into Hayley with intensity knowing that her girlfriend would most likely be leaving the country soon. It was inevitable, but if the roles were reversed she knew Hayley would let her go without question.

The brown eyed girl pulled back from the kiss to catch her breath. The taxi had jus pulled up right outside her door.

"This is my stop."

Hayley looked out the window before turning back to her girlfriend.

She pondered over everything that had happened in the last twenty minutes and began to evaluate herself and her relationship. She looked intently into Ava's brilliant brown orbs and they stared intently back creating a soothing atmosphere where only they existed.

"Marry me."


	10. Madrid

**Ava POV  
Two months later**

" _Hola y bienvenidos! Estamos muy contentos para anunciar la nueva jugadora de el nuevo equipo en España.  En un momento vamos a presentar la jugadora, Hayley Johnston. Johnston es la nueva delantera de el equipo femenina en el Real Madrid. Es la primera vez que el Real Madrid esta invertido en la liga femenina aquí en España."_

"Chris quick! It's on," I heard my Aunt Julie say excitedly over her shoulder before returning her attention to the flat screen in front of her.

" _Estamos vivos aquí en Madrid en el Estadio Bernabeu donde el nuevo equipo del el Real Madrid va a entrenan."_

"Chris come quick! We need you to translate," Julie called again as she sat down next to me on the couch.

"Hey, Ava didn't you take Spanish in high school," the former defender asked as she reached for the remote on the coffee table.

"Yeah, but I didn't pay much mind to it," I replied.

"Shame, now neither of us know what they're saying."

We both laughed at our current predicament as we watched on in comfortable silence as we sat in the Press-Johnston living room. Shortly after Taylor joined us on the couch and we continued our conversation about the commentator on tv.

The Spanish host was a lively man with a bright smile and heavy accent. He spoke quickly and animately. It was much too advanced for my limited high school Spanish. Sure I caught on to some words like "bien" and "mucho" but other than that I was completely lost.

Christen came in the room with a bowl of popcorn and a pile of sweets under her arms.

"Hey, sorry I'm late I was waiting for the popcorn. Did I miss anything?!"

Julie shook her head as she helped her wife set the snacks down on the coffee table.

"No you're just in time! Quick Chris, translate for us," Julie said as she plopped down on the empty love seat next to me.

Aunt Christen followed soon after as she sat down close to her wife, remote in her hand.

"Jules you know you can just put on English closed captioning right," the tanned woman said knowingly.

"Yeah but your translation is ten times better," the blonde said as she moved in closer to nuzzle her nose against Christen's cheek.

The other woman laughed at the motion as she scooted closer to her wife.

"Gross," the youngest Johnston said as she looked up from her phone.

Julie proceeded to grab a cornel of popcorn and fling it at her teenage daughter.

"Next time warn me, I want to catch it in my mouth," Taylor said after it hit her square in the forehead.

"Okay. Catch," the blonde woman said grabbing another before being stopped.

"No. We are not having another popcorn incident," Christen said sternly to her wife who significantly shrunk back into the love seat with a pout on her face.

"Another?" I questioned, no longer able to hold my laughter from the family's shenanigans.

"It's a long story," Taylor said smiling before grabbing a box of thin mints from the coffee table and offering them to me.

" _Hola, primero quiero decir muchas gracias por todos que visitaron el estadio hoy. Realmente nuestros organización no pude vivir sin el fe que los madridistas tiene en los entrenadores y en los jugadores. Por eso muchas gracias."_

Our attention is quickly drawn back to the flat screen in which an executive is speaking on behalf of the team. He is standing near a podium in the center of the infamous Spanish stadium  
'El Santiago Bernabeu'.

The man is dressed finely and he is fairly young. He speaks on for several minutes and according to Aunt Christen he is merely expressing his gratitude to everyone who showed up to support the team.

_"...Y ahora..vamos a presentar la nueva delantera de nuestros nuevo equipo...Hayley Johnston!"_

The stadium is filled with fans and the studio mic can clearly pick up their cheers as they welcome their new striker.

Hayley walks out of a tunnel and instantly the chants in the stadium fills the air of the Press-Johnston living room once more.

The American striker reaches the stage positioned in the middle of the field and walks up the steps gracefully.

When she gets closer to the podium she is greeted with a hug from the executive that had introduced her. She continues to shake the hands of others who also represent the club. Finally she settles on the podium and a camera zooms into her profile.

The 21 year old pulls the microphone closer to her face and opens her mouth to speak.

" _Hola_ ," Hayley says with a rough American accent making me chuckle lowly to myself.

The striker intended to proceed, but the American player speaking Spanish thrilled the loyal Madridistas and they proceeded to cheer louder than before.

Hayley in awe at the adoration smiled and waved at the crowd, riling them up even more.

J _ohnston!_  
Johnston!  
Johnston...

Hayley wait patiently for the crowd to settle down while smiling genuinely. Eventually the Madridistas comply enough for Hayley to say her speech.

" _Hola..uh..perdón..mí español no esta..um..perfecto. Pero..I want to say..gracias..thank you for giving me the opportunity to play in your new club team. I promise to play every game with the intention to meet Madrid's expectations. I don't have much else to say. I just want to end my speech with you guys by saying I'm happy to be here and Hala Madrid."_

_HALA MADRID!!_

The crowd subconsciously cheered back as they whistled and clapped animately taking the young striker by surprise.

Hayley smiled brightly as the executive revealed the player's new jersey to her and the awaiting fans.

It was classic Madrid. On the front it was white and simple with a classy emblem to signify it's importance. On the back the only thing that was colored in was the black letterings of the name ' **Johnston** ' and the infamous number **'7** '.

Hayley held up the jersey and posed with the executive in front of the fans and cameras. She had a bright smile on her face as she held the jersey close to her chest. She kissed the emblem for good luck before posing again for the press.

I could see it from a mile away.

Hayley was happy.

She was wearing a genuine smile and for the first time in months she looked genuinely carefree and at peace with herself. It reminded me of the Hayley I first met when I was seventeen. The one that was so excited to play with her national team. The one that would help me sneak out to go on secret adventures. The one I had fell in love with.

It seemed that for a long time she was battling with her passion for soccer, but now she had met it with a happy medium. It seems that she got her fresh start to renew whatever love she had lost in the sport in the last couple of months.

"It looks nice! I love that it's white. It's clean and it looks so cute," Christen said giddily as she leans forward to get a better view.

"Yeah but it's going to be hell to wash off grass strains," Julie said jokingly before being hit playfully on the arm by Christen.

"I like it," I admitted finally.

"It suits her."

And it's true.

Happiness suited Hayley Press-Johnston like nothing else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I'm ending this story here, I hope the last chapter gave you all some closure :) 
> 
> I wouldn't mind writing more stories in this AU but if you guys have ideas or prompts im open to your suggestions!
> 
> Thanks again for all the support on this story it was my first time writing fic and it was pretty fun!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys give me some feedback on the story and request a new chapter if your in to it :)


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